By Heather Nicholds
Let me tell you something you may not realize about me – I don’t love cooking. I do it because I want to maintain a healthy diet plan, and so I try to make my time in the kitchen as fun as I can.
But if you gave me a choice between cooking and going for a run, I’d choose the fresh air every time.
The reason I put the time and effort into it is because I have very specific ideas of what I want to eat, how I want it combined and what methods I want used to prepare it. I’m pretty much a control freak when it comes to the food I eat.
The reason is that I’ve realized along the way to a healthy diet plan what works – and what really doesn’t work – for me. As my health and energy levels have improved over the last few years, I’ve started to see how the foods I eat directly affect how I feel.
When I know that a piece of chocolate at 9pm will interfere with my sleep and digestion overnight, and I’ll wake up feeling groggy and unmotivated, it really isn’t tempting anymore. It’s not that I restrict myself, it’s that I don’t see the short-term indulgence as worthwhile.
I know I can have a treat if I want to, and there’s nothing wrong with having treats, but I’m conscious of the long-term effects.
{jumi [files/includes/youtube.php] [jp3A-e3BSXk]}
If you take a healthy diet plan too seriously, you can get stuck in a trap of feeling deprived. That’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about being aware of your body’s reaction to the things you eat and drink.
You have control over those things, and it can give you control over your own health. Being healthy means you have lots of energy, and having energy helps you create a more positive life for yourself.
Cravings can get in the way of your body’s real messages, and if you’re not in balance you might be getting those mixed messages. The trick is to get yourself on track with a healthy diet plan that will support your body to correct whatever specific imbalance you’re facing.
Once you get closer and closer to your own personal balance, you’ll find that the messages from your body are so much clearer.
I have something new in the works that I’m really excited about – called Health KickStart – to help you find your own healthy diet plan to get back in balance.
Even though I don’t care about fulfilling an artistic vision in the kitchen, if cooking means that I can be healthy, energized and have a fantastic life, of course I’m going to cook! I do have fun creating something delicious out of the foods that will make Phil and I healthy and happy.
That’s my motivation for creating healthy vegan recipes, and also for sharing them with you. What’s your motivation for cooking? Or if you’re lacking motivation, what would get you going? Let me know by leaving a comment below.